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Overpopulation of the Planet
It is well known at this point in time that the Earth we live on is facing many perilous situations. Throughout history, Earth has faced natural factors that have negatively affected it, but mother Earth has been able to recover and bounce back. In recent history though, humanity has been Earth’s biggest foe. Factors From issues like pollution, species extinction, and global warming, our own human species has created some of the most serious environmental issues to date. Our species has taken advantage of and abused Earth’s resources. This is due partly because of our society’s consuming culture, and because of our massive and ever-growing population. At the root of the overpopulation issue is the declining death rate. What keeps a population stable is a healthy balance between the birth and death rate. Because of advances in medicine and technology people are living longer, causing a decline to the death rate, while the birth rate is still stable. Our huge population has proved to be a grave issue. According to the United States Census Bureau, the world population is around a staggering 7.174 billion people, a number that is steadily growing. The population has been steadily growing after recovering from the Great Famine and the Black Death, and experienced bursts of growth during the 1950’s and 1960’s, otherwise known as the era of the baby boomers. The population is set to keep growing, according to current UN projections, and then a steady decline in population growth afterwards. While the decline that is expected within the next one to two hundred years can warrant a sigh of relief, the issues we are facing now with overpopulation may prevent us from even making it that far. Earth is already being pushed to its limits from our current population, and many have questioned the possibility of the earth being able to handle more population growth. The growing pressures we have put on Earth’s resources, environment, and food supply, among others, may prevent us from reaching the decline of population growth. Resource Consumption One of the biggest issues we, as a species, face with overpopulation is the availability of resources. Humans are still trying to figure out a clean, sustainable form of energy that is available, plentiful, and safe for the environment. Rich countries produce massive amounts of waste and over consume, which is aggravated when populations are large. Water, one of the most basic supplies needed for living, is a prized commodity around the world. Millions of people are without access to clean water, and in many of these areas there is not enough to go around. Food is also a resource being hurt by overpopulation, and is a major problem globally. We have driven countless species into extinction, and endanger and threaten many others. Major issues like climate change, caused by humans, have affected how Earth functions and lives. This in turn affects our lives as a species dependent on Earth. As our population increases, we can only expect these problems to get worse. Because everything on Earth is connected, overpopulation creates a domino-like effect and many different aspects of the planet are negatively impacted. People are heavily affected by the size of our population. Urban areas become more and more dense, and the infrastructure cannot handle how many people there are that need to be sheltered and protected. This had led to areas where people live becoming unhygienic, poverty-stricken, and unsafe. The lack of resources gives rise to tensions and conflict, and the quality of life in these areas is significantly lowered. All of these factors lead to the increase of the spread of disease, malnutrition, and starvation. Our need for resources puts a heavy strain on the planet. Problems like deforestation are continuing to grow, as the demand for lumber is still present. Trees are constantly cut down around the world to answer the demand for wood. While this is not a new issue, it is clear that deforestation and many other environmental issues are aggravated by population growth. As the population grows, so will the demand for lumber. More people on Earth means more people that need to be sheltered and require other benefits that lumber can give them. Deforestation is not only a problem because it reduces the amount of trees, but also because it destroys habitats for the local wildlife, and is done in environmentally unfriendly ways. Techniques used to gather lumber causes even more damage to the environment. Pollution Our massive population has also contributed to many different forms of pollution and also global warming. Our species has contributed to various types of pollution that has harmed the environment. We release large amounts of harmful toxins such as carbon into the air due to the heavy industrialization of many cultures around the world. According to the Wall Street Journal Online, air pollution has become such an issue in some areas that they are covered in smog and health risks have been identified. There are currently massive gyres, mostly abandoned plastics, in the planet’s oceans which keep growing. These gyres are massive piles of waste and garbage, which have effectively pushed out most of the sealife there. Different types of runoff from chemical plants have polluted terrestrial water sources and the soil, affecting all of the life around it. All of these issues are aggravated and increased by the large population we currently have. We, as a species, consume a large amount of resources as it is, and as the population grows larger the demand for these resources gets higher and higher. Besides pollution, large amounts of land have been over farmed and overused, making it impossible to grow food. Reduction of Species This demand for resources not only includes abiotic factors of our planet, but has had a massive negative impact on the biotic factors as well. As the population of the world has grown, there have been countless issues of species being threatened, endangered, or pushed to extinction. According to the IUCN Red List, 801 species have become extinct during the span of the human existence. Hunting and overfishing have pushed many species to their limits, which in turn has affected their environments. This rising demand puts more pressure on Earth and all of its environments as we try to take what we need. Even with the prospect of a decline in population growth in the future, it is unclear whether the damage we have already caused is reversible or not. A problem for the future may be whether we can survive as a species in the current damaged environment, whether or not the rate of population growth has declined. The main obstacle faced now is how we can make it to the turning point of population growth, and how the quality of life will be affected. Reactions Since the dawn of our creation as humans, we have been dependents of Earth and all she has to offer. Although we have made incredible advances since that time, we still maintain a strong connection and bond with our planet. It provides us with food, shelter, medicines, energy, and most importantly, our home. But the real question lies in whether or not we will be able to call this planet our home within the near future. Many scientists think not. For a very long time, our species reaped the benefits Earth gave us without feeling, or maybe acknowledging, the consequences. Environmental issues are on the forefront of global, political, economical, and social issues. People are starting to become more and more aware and active in the health and status of our Earth, because it is impacting us in huge ways. These are not new issues, nor will they disappear from headlines anytime soon. These problems have been developing and growing for many, many years, but have gained more attention recently—more than ever before. Environmental awareness has infiltrated various areas of life and most importantly, social media. People are taking to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, among others, to spread the word and promote environmental issues. Alongside the environmental destruction we have caused Earth in recent history, there has been room for hope. Now, more than ever, people are becoming more and more aware and involved in the welfare and state of our environment and the planet we live on. Many people dedicate their time, efforts, and careers to identifying and striving towards solutions to the current problems we are facing due to overpopulation. Overpopulation, among many other environmental issues, are commonly painted across television screens and newspapers. Although we as a species have caused a multitude of these issues and have burdened Earth with our massive population, we are also working towards figuring out a solution and finding more sustainable ways of living. Population control and its related issues has become a major issue for many countries. Some, like China, have taken these matters into the legal arena, passing laws restricting the amount of children a couple can produce, in order to cut down on the population. While some of these tactics may be seen as aggressive, the concern is still there. Now that it is known that people do care, and that these are major issues worth caring about, the biggest mission we are tasked with is what exactly we are to do to mend the situation and make it better. Unfortunately, there are many environmental issues caused by overpopulation that we cannot reverse. The reality of the issue is that the problems that can be fixed or alleviated will incur long and expensive processes. It will take time, money, and a lot of effort to make positive progress. We may not see the solutions to these issues in our own lifetimes. A lot of the damage we have incurred has been done in a short amount of time, but the wounds are so deep it will take a very long time for them to heal. People, scientists, organizations, and governments all over the world have been working towards some kind of solution to the overpopulation problem and all of the damages overpopulation has caused. While no single, concrete solution to solve the problem has been discovered, different tactics have been developed to deal with the issue of our massive population. So far, there have been four proposed solutions that when integrated and put into action, would logically help reduce the problems caused by overpopulation. The first proposal deals with education. Education must be updated to the current social state and current events. People need to be aware of the current state of the world we live in and what is going on. By improving education and making people aware of the current issues, they are more familiar with them and can contribute more to creating solutions. This leads into sex education, something crucial to be learned and understood as one grows up. Open discussion in terms of sex education, safe sex, and contraception can lead to smarter choices, a better understanding of sex, and better family planning for the future. Family planning is also another strategy that can help curb population growth. Family planning informs people of safe sex techniques and different contraceptive methods, which can influence how many children are born into a family. The last strategy is tax benefits and concessions. Governments in countries around the world play a major part in creating solutions to overpopulation and the damage it has caused. In this scenario, a government would offer to lower or waiver certain parts of a person’s taxes depending on how many children they have. While these four strategies tackle the issue of overpopulation itself, there is still the question of how to fix the damage that has been caused by overpopulation. Because there is a wide variety of issues— some of which we do not fully understand yet— it is difficult to come up with effective solutions for each and every problem. While efforts are being put forward now, in order to truly take on each and every issue and come out with a successful end result, large amounts of money and time would be needed. Besides this, huge efforts of planning, organizing, and legal factors would be a major part of finding remedies for these issues. A lot of cooperation and compromising would be needed. After reviewing the causes, effects, and future of overpopulation, it can be easy to feel a bit down. Overpopulation has most definitely affected Earth, and it is up to us as the caretakers of this planet to help fix what we have caused. Although it will take time, money, effort, and cooperation, there is hope for the future. With a predicted drop in the population growth rate and action being taken by so many to fix these issues, there is hope on the horizon. If we want to survive as a species, we must learn how to take care of the planet we call home, and fighting the issue of overpopulation and all of the damage it has caused is one of the first steps. — Written by Jennifer Ryan, Intern with GAIANipedia References: • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2001). Food Insecurity: When People Live With Hunger and Fear Starvation. The State of Food insecurity in the World 2001. FAO, ISBN 92-5-104628-X • IUCN Red List at the Wayback Machine (archived March 6, 2009) • "joint statement by fifty-eight of the world's scientific academies." The Interacademy panel on International Issues. Wayback Machine, n.d. Web. 21 July 2014. 20100210203604/http://www.interacademies.net/?id=3547>. • "Overpopulation." Conserve Energy Future. Conserve-Energy-Future, 2014. Web. 29 July 2014.. • Randers, Jorgen (2012). 2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. p. 62. • "The Wall Street Journal Online – Outside the Box". Opinionjournal.com. Retrieved 2014-7-29. Category:Environmental Issues Category:Sociopolitical Issues